Without Love There is no Hope
by candysweets
Summary: Sequal to "Beauty from Pain" Melia has just hit her 16th birthday and is in for A LOT of surpizes. Will she ever return to the pridelands? Fate seems to become a close friend of hers...will she muster the courage needed to defeat the one she fears most?
1. The beginning of a fresh start on life

**Okay... This is the sequal to "Beauty from Pain" I'm not sure if any of you remember, as it has been FOREVER since that story ended, and I apologize for the extremely long wait, but I really wasn't sure at the time where I wanted this story to go... And I was also extremely worried about what you guys would think, as this one is probably going to be a lot different then the last... I've written other chapters, but I really need your feedback if you want me to post them or not, I also really need your honest opinion of what you think of the plot so far, ect... (although, please be nice about it.)**

**(P.S. please ignore any spelling/grammar errors as I know there are many, but I did try my vary best to limit them to a vary few.)**

**Disclaimer: **I own NOTHING!! the American Idol cast belong to themselves and the Lion King are all Disneys. So don't hurt me!! holds up Simba plushie

gulp Without farther or due... On with the story.

Hiya! My name is Melia Lynn Cowell…. Or so the adoption papers legally stated on the date of January 29th 2001. You see… Just in case you don't know, when I was younger Mr. Nasty himself, yep that's right the one and only "Simon Cowell" rescued me right off the plains of the beautiful country of Africa… Now you may be wondering why would I need rescuing if it were such a nice place to live in, and why the heck would celebrity Simon Cowell even give….well anyone --especially some 12 year old orphan-- the time of day.

What made me so special? Well nothing, I guess… Believe me; my story is far from glamorous; Twas fate who threw me into the hands of the nasty TV talent judge when a powerful river current threatened to take my life. Shortly after that, I ended up in the place I had feared and expected I was going from the moment we stepped on the plane to California… the orphanage. I would not have gone if it were not for Simba.

Despite the fact that he was a lion, he was the only father I have ever known, and at that time, I would have done anything to save his life from the terrible illness he had been suffering from… Simon had promised that if I went with them, he would help Simba… So I did and it wasn't long before he recovered. I did not even get the chance to say goodbye before they sent him back to Africa along with the rest of the lion pride. Secretly, I'm still not sure if I ever forgave Simon for allowing that… Of course, it wasn't really his fault… The California Zoo did it without his consent, but somehow it still seems he could have done something more to prevent it from happening. Naturally, I was furious at the time, especially when the law refused to let me go after him...

Sinnita, one of Simon's ex-girlfriend, took in children just like me who did not have any parents or legal guardians to take care of them. She lived in England so as you can expect, that is exactly where I was sent shortly after that season of American Idol ended.

Ryan Seacrest and Paula Abdul had tried to dispute against it, but Simon would have none of it. He had told them that, if I were going to be send anywhere other then Africa, he would make sure it would be to Sinnita's house. He new she would take good care of me as she has done to countless other orphans and because of that, his decision was final.

The only problem was I wasn't an orphan, I had a family, but because he they were all lions, as you can imagine, the United Kingdom laughed my case out of the courtroom when I tried to protest at the age of 13 why I needed to return to Africa.

They forced me to stay in the orphanage to my despair until the age 14, when I escaped and attempted to run away… Not because of the way I was treated, Sinnita was a wonderful caretaker, but because I had a mission to complete.

I still remember that day as if it were yesterday.

I had stood outside the huge mansion of Simon Cowell, considering he was the only one I new who lived in England. The door slowly creaked open and I stared at the ground, tears threatening to fall. "Please don't make me go back…" I whispered before he could say anything. He let out a small cough; I could tell by the tired look on his face that he must have been feeling bad that day.

"Melia? Wha... What are you doing here love? Sinnita's going to be worried sick about you…" He seemed a bit disoriented as he leaned a land against the door to settle himself.

"It sounds like you already are…" I looked up at him with sad brown eyes.

"What?" He stared at me, confused.

"Sick, I mean… Here, I'll take care of you."

"No no Melia it's just a bit of a cold. Really I…" I grabbed his hand before he could finish and led him into the living room. It was beautiful as was expected… Just like something out of a movie, I remembered seeing. The couch was made of expensive leather and the carpet, a spotless cream color. Various pictures hung from the wall's of thing's I was not quit sure what to make of at the time. I remembered having imagined, at that time, what it would have been like to live there…

"Wow… You have a beautiful house Mr. Cowell," I almost whispered. My eyes filled with awe. By that time, I had forgotten all about the bitterness harvesting inside over his sending me to live with Sinnita, instead, I only asked that he heard me out… Desperately praying the somehow he would understand. It was my only hope and when you're that desperate, you don't care who hears your pleas as long as they're willing to listen.

A faint smile had shown the dimmest of light in his faded eyes. "Thank you Melia, your vary kind. But I really should be getting you back to Sinnita…speaking of which, where is she anyways?"

"Wait here. I'll be right back…" Completely ignoring his question, I ran into the kitchen, only to appear moments later holding a wet washrag in one hand and a bottle of Aspirin with a small glass of water in the other. "Now Simon, sit down okay?" At this point, my voice sounded much like that of a mother instead of a child.

He sighed, but reluctantly ended up obeying anyways. He stared at me curiously. "Now, how did you manage to find all that in a house you've never even been in before? You've hardly been here for five minutes…"

"It's not to hard to figure out, most people keep some sort of cloth to dry their hands off in the kitchen, and everyone knows that every household has a medicine cabinet somewhere. Yours just happened to be next to the refrigerator." I said it as if it were the simplest thing in the world while dabbing his forehead with the rag. I handed him the bottle of Aspirin after reading the instructions on the back of how many to take.

"I read about you having frequent headaches on the internet, and the way you were leaning against the door earlier, I figured you must have had one, plus you looked like you had a fever."

"Do I really look that awful?" He asked surprised, letting out a small chuckle.

"Do you want me to answer honestly?" I asked genuinely.

"No fair, that's my line…" He leaned his head back and laughed. "Come on Melia… What is it you really came here for? What is it you want this time?"

"Wha-what makes you think I want anything?" I tried my hardest not to give myself a way. I learned that day that there was no fooling Simon Cowell… He had seen right through me from the moment he answered the door. "I want… to…"

"Yes… go on."

"To…" I took a deep breath, dreading his reaction with every essence of my being. "To return to Africa… to the pride." I closed my eyes, knowing already what would come next. I reopened one only slightly only to find he was staring at me with a knowing grin.

"Really? And…why is that?" He decided to play dumb.

"You know why… they need me…" I crossed my arms but before I new it, the tears had already filled my eyes, waves of sadness and longing overcame me and I buried my face in my hands. Back then, it was okay to cry…It was okay to appear weak and venerable in front of a stranger. I wasn't ashamed to admit I needed someone.

"I need them…" I choked out the word, avoiding eye contact. "I never would have agreed to come to California if I new I would never see my family again… And besides I would never get adopted even if I wanted too…" The words slipped sooner then I would have liked.

He scooped me into his lap and rapped his arms around my waist, his head rested upon my shoulder as he reached up to wipe a few fallen tears from my cheek. I had worn no make-up for lack of money so there was no smeared mascara running down my blemished face…

"Shhh… That's not true."

"Yes it-it is…and I don't care. I don't want to be adopted anyways… I don't want to live with strangers who I've never seen before in my life… I wouldn't fit in…and I wouldn't want too." I breathed in deeply to catch my breath. "People are stupid! I hate them. I hate them…They want nothing more then to rip everything away…I hate them…I already have a family…" My voice trailed off into a violent cough.

This time Simon remained silent, but rubbed my back in soothing motions to try to ease the cough. It was obvious he had no idea what to say in a situation like this and I was too angry to care… I hated the world and the government laws at a vary young age for tearing me away from the only family I had ever known, for ripping me away from the love I clung to so dearly.

"Why did this happen? Why did they take my family away? Why…" I whimpered. "Why do we have to be alone…?" In that moment he new I was speaking for all the countless seemingly forgotten ones in the world who asked the same…

"I...I…don't know Melia. Sometimes I ask myself the same thing… Your right…your right sweetheart, It's not fair. The world is cruel… And you don't deserve what happened to you. None of you do." He gently gave my hand a squeeze and I turned, flung my arms around his neck, drinking in whatever comfort I could and pored out my heart in the form of mournful sobs… Maybe for hours, or just a few minutes, I really couldn't tell you how long we stayed in that position but I will say this, somewhere in-between that time period, I know I felt a few warm droplets of moisture soak into the fabric of the tattered sundress I had on that were not mine.

"Even so Melia… You know your going to have to go back to Sinnita's house." The words I had been dreading to hear from the moment I came here had finally come out.

I was not ready to face the truth and anger swelled within me. Betrayal and hurt overwhelmed my emotions.

"I thought, for the briefest moments, that you were my friend. That you were different. Guess I was wrong…" I pulled away, forcing back tears. From this moment on, I had made an inner vow never to trust anyone ever again. Never again, would I give someone the power to break my heart.

I left Simon's house that day and continued my run, taking what I needed to survive from the rich, and occasionally helping those I met on the streets who, like me, would go to great lengths just to make it. Until eventually, instead of calling the cop's against his better judgment, Simon caught up with me one cold rainy day in London, the city I had fled too two days after I had left his mansion. Eventually, he managed to convince me to return to the orphanage, only with the promise that someday he would find a way to bring me back to my family, by then, I was so weary from lack of nourishment that I didn't have the strength to put up much of a fight anyhow.

A year later, he returned to the orphanage, this time not only just to visit me and the other orphans, but also with a mysterious black blindfold in hand. Sinnita tied it around my head so that I couldn't see anything and led me outside in the freezing bitter cold of December 24th to an idling limo.

Within minutes, we arrived at our destination.

I will never forget that Christmas… Twas the one Simon decided to adopt me. Any secret resentment I had been holding inside vanished completely the moment he uttered the words,

"Melia… I would like you to come live here." For the first time in years, I new someone truly did care about me. Yet I never forgot his promise… As soon as his schedule would let him, we both would fly to Africa.


	2. Everyone, meet Kenya

**Authors note:** _Thank you sooo much to my amazing **reviewers**!! Once again I've depended upon God to give me the inspiration for wherever this story is sopposed to go, and I really hope you enjoy it. Please continue to tell me how you like it, I'm up for constructive criticisim but please don't be a Simon (hides) haha. _

_On with the story..._

To find farther answers to whatever questions you may seek you'll just have to read the prequel to this story. The only thing I will say is this…,

Two years ago, I learned something that I will never forget…

Sometimes if you want to be found, the first step is realizing just how lost you are, and pain does not always end in tragedy…but to gain beauty from ashes is one of the most precious gifts you will ever be given.

"Melia dear! Get your lazy butt down here and eat your breakfast!" Oh, Crap! Look's like I've went on to long… That would be the new house cleaner, Helga… scowl I better get going. Last time I was late she locked me in the "secret chamber" for a whole hour! I swear… That woman is the reason no one comes to visit us anymore.

"Melia! If you're not down these stairs in less than 5 minutes I'm going to let you starve!"

On the up side, I finally talked Simon into letting Kenya stay with us here in Beverly Hills for a while as a late Christmas present. After his girlfriend—erm…I mean _ex _Girlfriend, Terri Seymour, moved out I figure he can't complain about her horribly tragic "Allergic reaction" anymore.

"MELONY MASHELL COWELL!"

Darn! She used my full name… I guess I really should break my uncanny habit of rambling… "Coming!"

I raced down the stairs as fast as my legs would carry me in desperate attempt of avoiding the banal lecture I new Helga would bore me to death with if I were not down for breakfast before the food went cold.

"Okay… I'm here. So what's cooking? "Taking my usual seat at the far end of the beautifully large marble table, I gave a crooked smile, still unable to grow fully accustomed to the cold strict stare of the strange maid whom Simon probably hired just to be cheap. You wouldn't think so with the millions of doe he pulls in with his record company label, let alone all the live Television shows he is in business with, still you'd be surprised…

"It's been two years now that you've been living in this mansion and still you ask 'what's cooking?' " She shook her head, assigning a finger to message her temples as if she were frustrated with my (What she liked to call) 'youthful ignorance'. Trust me… Helga is living proof of just how cheap Simon can get when he feels like it. Not to say he is what way all the time… Most of the time it's the exact opposite, but when it comes to Helga, she has a special way of getting on my last nerve…and thriving on it.

I rolled my eyes and reached under the table to feed a small piece of my sausage to Kenya, Kiara and Kovu's (two lion's from the pride we talked about earlier) son who had come to live with us over the winter instead of remaining in Africa where his parents and their pride presently resided… After Simba disappeared, we sent out countless search party's until finally giving up…. No one knows for sure what happened to him that one lonely night when he set out for the hunt and never returned, but Nala is beginning to suspect the worse. Somewhere deep in my heart there is apart of me that wants to believe he's still out there… There is apart of me that starves to keep holding on. Almost as if, if I just keep wishing, maybe…. He will come back.

Now you would have thought the second I heard the news I would have flown out there the moment I could. Yet, as horrible as it sounds, I couldn't bring myself to embark on a journey that may, and probably would, lead to the tragedy I had known all along. I new I wouldn't be able to face the heartache a second time…

So I did the next best thing. I tried my hardest to forget… they say everyone has his or her own way of coping with grief, and in the strangest of ways, this was mine…

Instead of returning to Africa, I stayed here in America, it was my way of hiding. Once again I wasn't strong enough to face the truth, and I new the second it caught up with me, everything would feel as if it were the end of the world… or at least the end of mine. I wasn't ready for that…

They also say time heals all wounds. Well let me be the first to tell you…

It doesn't, and it never will.

Instead, it only brings with it a constant aching pain that eventually gets shoved to the back of everything else, yet at the end of the day you still know its there.

However, as time went on, I finally gathered the strength I guess to allow myself to become close with Kenya, the youngest royal member of the pride, of course we didn't get to meet until the day I allowed myself to return to Africa, and even then, the goodbye was crushing. Since he is one of the two male cub's Kiara birthed (let alone the little adopted female she took in), choosing a new leader for the pride was certainly going to be a challenge.

"Helga... Just chill okay? Lighten up a little! You only live once you know… there are sometimes I wonder if Simon was even sober when he hired you." I made sure to mumble the last part of that sentence almost inaudibly but still not quit.

I watched her face morph into that of a mix of disgust and shock, (looking much like an old dried up potato if you ask my opinion). It was obvious to tell she was completely appalled at my colorful choice of words. "Why you little…" Lucky for me it was in this moment that we heard a door from upstairs fling wide open. Sure enough, Simon Cowell came strolling down the huge marvelous white staircase just as causally as ever. "Angel." Helga finished quickly, grudgingly grinning my way. She must have thought Simon was some sort of complete idiot because even a 5 year old could see through her pathetic attempt of manipulation.

"Morning Simon!" I greeted, cheerfully ignoring her needless comment of spite, not that it had bothered me, its always been this way, she would pretend to be nice to me whenever Simon walked into the room because she new if he caught her doing otherwise it would be the end of her career, or so she thought.

No… in reality, he would simply tell me to ignore her instead.

"Good morning Melia, Helga." He gave me a light peck on the cheek, making sure to give the maid a smile of icy politeness.

I couldn't help but laugh inwardly.

"Morning Mr. Cowell. I hope you enjoyed breakfast in bed…." I glanced over to see Helga desperately trying her to mask whatever hatred she could behind a smile that almost appeared to portray a slight hint of evil. I never could figure out why there was so much resentment in her heart other then greed and a huge obsession with the jealously she possessed of Simon's wealth.

Letting my gaze fall to my own plate I couldn't help but fear that one of these days she is going to crack and attempt to poison us… Looking up at the odd expression on Simon's face for a moment or so, I wondered if the disturbing idea had crossed his mind a time or two as well.

"Yes vary much so thank you." His smile seemed to give off a sense of nervous curiosity. "And Melia? You enjoy yours?"

"Umm… Actually I'm not really that hungry right now…" I ignored the death glare I earned from Helga for choosing not to eat the meal she had prepared, and arose to my feet, reaching down to burry my hands within Kenya's mane as he gently brushed his glorious mane up against my leg. "But I'm sure it would have been delicious!" I added giving a crooked grin in hope's to smooth things over a bit.

Raising both of his eyebrows as he usually does, a look of concern slowly formed on the music mogul's face. "Are you sure? You remember where that kind of rubbish got Pawla…"

My gaze plummeted to the floor at the vary mention of her name and a sudden wave of sadness seemed to wash over me. I remembered Paula's dark battle of bulimia and my heart sank into my stomach… I new exactly what he was getting at. Paula had struggled with the disease for years and with help, finally managed to overcome it later on. Over the past three year's Paula and I had developed a connection much like that of a mother and daughter or a sister kind of thing… She would always tell me to believe in myself no matter what others told me. She taught me how to be strong when things get tough and for that, I will always be grateful, I wish I could say the same for the other's…. She, Simon, Ryan, and Kenya are my only true friend's… I probably should eventually get past my fear and explain to Simon why I am planning to drop out of school this year after this up-coming summer, since the legal age is 16 and my birthday was a month ago, but for now, I will just let him believe that everything's peachy…

"I know… I'll eat later. Just not now…" I said, finally, not fully bringing my misty eyes to meet his.

"You better… You know what Simba would say if he were still here…and you don't even wanna get me started on mom and dad." I heard the soft voice of Kenya tell me from his place beside me, although the only thing the others heard was a low growl.

I nodded blinking away whatever moisture had formed in my eyes at the distant feeling of loss hidden deep within the depths of my heart. "I know…" I whispered running my fingers through his fur once more, the comforting feeling seeming to bring a sort of warmth through my body, returning my attention to Simon at the sound of his placid tone.

"How about I take you for a little surprise today after work? In fact, I've decided I will even take you to work with me today if you like. Who knows? You may bring Idol a bit of luck. We sure could use it…" An almost cheeky grin seemed to sparkle somewhere within Simon's eyes in his attempt of brightening the mood, in which I joyfully returned by leaping from my seat and racing into his inviting arms. I heard him chuckle as I playfully flung my arms around his neck. "Are you serious? You really… mean it?" I asked almost tentatively, this was definitely a first… He never brings me to work with him even when I beg. There has to be some sort of a catch to this.

However, the glow in his smile seems to prove otherwise.

"Come on Simon…there has to be some sort of scheme behind this. You never take me to the additions... I've begged you millions of times before and you always tell me that I'd be much happier staying here at the house with Kenya, or the Television." I sighed, rolling my eyes at the numerous times he has turned me down before, I wondered what made today any different.

Suddenly I notice his smile begins to fade and the twinkle that shown in his eye mere seconds ago has vanished from site.

"Simon…what's wrong?" Immediately I could feel something was not right, and as I stared into his wary eyes, concern slowly began to creep into my heart, though I tried my best not to let my imagination take over as it too often did.

"Simon…?" I repeated, keeping my voice steady. I shot him an odd look, inwardly struggling the feeling off. After all, nothing is nearly as bad as it seems and there was no need to jump to conclusions…

"Come on love, were going to be late for auditions, err, later then usual." Completely avoiding my question, he forced a smile, then placed a light hand on my back and led me out the door without another word to anyone. A million thoughts raced through my mind as I grabbed my black "Underoath" hoodie from the shelf closest to us, and followed willingly, all the while unaware that this was just the beginning of my journey on this crazy thing called life...


	3. Melia's friend, tragedy

**Note: **_I am Sooooooo sorry for the ENCREDIBLY LATE update!! There is a lot going on in my life right now and at times it makes it really hard to focus on anything else, but I just want you guys to know that I **Havn't **given up on this story and I WILL try my best to make the updates more frequant then this. :) A special thanks to my vary faithful reviewer **faithful4evah**_ _for giving me the inspiration to continue. THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Please continue to tell me how you like the story as I was also really nervous to upload this one because I was (am) afraid to find out how people would like how the plot was going... But faithful4evah gave me the words of encouragement I needed to go ahead and upload anyways, so here goes nothing. Hope you enjoy!! (nervous grin) _

_P.S. (as always, please try to ignore the grammar mistakes as I am trying my best. ;) ) _

I stared blankly into the cold eyes of the pitiless killer standing merely a few feet away from the glass table where I sat motionless in-between the two American Idol judges, Simon and Randy. Paula failed to show up for auditions that day, but reassured in a phone call not to worry, she would return the next day, unwilling to state the reason why at that moment for lack of time.

"Come quickly." I heard Simon's low whisper into a tiny mike clipped to the edge of his usual tight black-shirt, cringing at the faint sound of the man's finger against the trigger.

"Give me one of those shiny golden tickets to Hollywood or... Well I think you can guess what happens next." An almost sinister grin crept across his grimacing expression sending a shiver down my spine; the man was obviously out of his mind. _This contestant is_ _insane! He's going to kill us all if someone doesn't do something and fast! just my luck something like this had to happen on a day I came…I can just picture it now…were going to end up on the news tomorrow just like all those poor unfortunate people who were murdered by some freak accident like in all of the horror films…_ The horrifying thoughts seemed to race through my brain a million miles a second. I looked at Simon nervously, anticipating his reaction. Unable to read his expression, I turned my gaze to Randy who seemed to have the smallest beads of sweat making their way down his forehead. I could only imagine what terror racked his own thought process, as he seemed to be chewing the life out of one of the pens we each received before the show started.

"Why don't you take Melia into the other room with Ryan…I think I can handle this one alone, yeah?" Simon whispered, shooting his fellow judge a look, his tone remaining as calm as usual, though the slightest hint of unease showed itself within his eyes. A sting of worry sprang within my own at the vary thought of Simon in the room alone with a man who held the vary power to murder him if his manic mind thought need be.

Randy returned the look but did not question his orders but shot him a look as if he hoped Simon new what he was doing. "If you say so dawg…" He sighed, turning his attention over to me. Despite my growing fear, I could not believe what he was about to do. "Come on baby girl..." slowly getting up he took me by the hand and headed for the door, only to freeze in his tracks at the pressure of the gun redirected to focus its target on us. _Oh no…this is it…were dead... Oh, please don't let it be painful… _I grimaced, instinctively preparing for the worst.

"And where do you think your going?" The man glared, sharply turning his flaming gaze on me. _Oh great… why should he care where were going? _I gulped, unable to do anything but stand there awaiting the fate I was sure to come.

"Alright ya know what? I've decided to give you another chance, just try to pick a song that actually fits your voice this time." Even in a time like this, Simon could not resist the slightest snicker as he gestured quickly for us to leave the room. Before I had the time to react, strong arms grabbed me around the waist, shoving my reluctant self into open doors where I immediately fell into someone's protective embrace.

I could recognize the pleasant smell of cologne anywhere, yet now it held a strange sense of comfort. "Ryan? Are they otta their mind! We can't leave Simon in there alone; we can't leave anyone in there alone! That man is a maniac! He already murdered the security guards!" My voice was frantic, before he could protest; I immediately spun around with every intention of bursting through the doors to stop Simon from possibly making the biggest mistake of his life, only to slam strait into the huge chest of Randy Jackson. "Oh no you don't baby girl, if you go in there you'll libel to get yourself killed!" Placing his hands firmly on both my shoulders, he spun me around the opposite direction, making it a point that as long as he had a say in it, there was no way I was stepping foot in that room.

"Well that's exactly what Simon is going to do if someday doesn't do something!" I almost screamed, the emotions bursting inside burning clearly within my desperate tone. The image of death flashed before my eyes in an explosion of crimson, a memory I new would haunt me for the rest of my life.

"Sweetheart… Simon is a big boy; he can take care of himself… Besides, we made a promise to take care of you and that is exactly what we're going to do. " Ryan began softly, his own voice trembling, before noticing the relentless teardrops already spilling down my cheeks in rivers of lonely brokenness, smearing the jet-black eyeliner and mascara plastered on in ridiculous amounts by varies professional make-up artists.

I have always loathed the powerless feeling that overwhelms you whenever something is so far out of your reach; so far, out of your control that the only thing you can do is break down. I hated feeling so weak and this was one of those moments… Every second felt as if it were slowly killing me. I've always hoped this day would never come where tragedy would come once more; now here I am again, no stronger then before, nothing but a scared little girl clinging to her best friend just like so long ago, helpless to prevent the unthinkable from coming to past...

"Come on Mel... don't cry." Ryan pulled me close as I helplessly reached down to straiten the soft fabric of the sleek black mini skirt I had chosen to wear this morning, along with a pair of the same color stockings. It came down only a little passed my knee favoring the stylish cream cami, reaching the vary bass of my hips, lace lined around where the skirt began. A beautiful Diamond necklace carved in the forum of a star, hung loosely around my neck.

"I'm-I'm sure everything will be fine…" His tone was no more convincing then that of a nervous child, though he tried his best to calm me. It didn't work…

"But what if it's not Ryan? What if…" As if triggered by fate itself, I turned quickly breaking away from Ryan's gaze to gasp at the horrific sound of gunfire, a deafening sound I had learned to despise from the time I was vary young… My heart raced with a deadly fear I had seldom known before. Ryan stood ghostly still, unwilling to except the tragedy unfolding before him in waves of shock.

Everything around us spiraled into an unexplained slow motion and instantly, my feet drug me at a rapid speed toward the door.

"SIMON!"

* * *

The piercing silence of the hospital's waiting room, I thought, was enough to drive anyone completely mad. Ryan Seacrest sat close beside me; his mind far too occupied with thoughts of the days unpleasant events for any desire of conversation. Randy and the others who had franticly followed the ambulance to the hospital earlier that fateful day had left hours ago, leaving only the two of us in a cold stillness. I glanced over at a near-bye magazine in an attempt to rid my mind of whatever horrid image may try to take over in the absence of distraction.

"**Paula Abdul reveals her deepest darkest secrets, including her late battle with bulimia." **The article read in fancy black lettering of the latest "_People_" Magazine.

I swallowed hard. For once, why couldn't they just give her a break? Could this be the real reason she failed to show up for auditions earlier today? Had her battle with bulimia really came back…?

I looked up quickly, startled from my own thoughts as the sound of a door creaked open to reveal a young nurse dressed in white. She wore little make-up to cover her plain face, I admired. Her body a little on the thin side, and her light brown hair pulled up in a bun, the last one probably a requirement of uniform.

"Melia… Ryan." She addressed us atlas, her soft tone solemn as she studied our emotions for a moment or two before finally speaking.

"Is-Is he going to be alright?" Ryan squeaked out the words longing to burst from his lips the moment the incident took place.

"We've already removed the bullet thank heavens, it's truly some miracle he pulled through with the wound so close to his heart and there are still a few tests to be run, but he should be able to go home in a couple of days, so you needn't worry yourselves too much." She smiled a kind, yet weary sort of smile.

I let out a breath of great relief feeling as if someone had just lifted the weight of one million burdens from my shoulders, but said nothing; even if I tried, the words refused to come, and maybe, in this moment, there wasn't any need. With Ryan's hand clasped tightly in my own, I new in that moment he shared the same glow of liberation beaming off my own face.

"I'm Linda by the way, the one who will be taking care of Simon for the remainder of his stay here, which, hopefully, will be short." The nurse smiled again, breaking the brief silence that had fallen moments earlier.

"Thank you…so much, Linda. Umm... When can see him?" Ryan asked maybe a little too anxiously, wanting to see his friend as soon as possible as if to reassure himself that Simon really was going to be okay.

"Well he's resting now as you can imagine he'd be sleeping after the surgery… Besides you two have been here for hours now, and it's almost 3:00 A.M. why don't you go home, get some rest yourselves, then come back in the morning?" Although I new Linda meant well, despite my bodies weariness pleading for me to give into her advice, I couldn't help but think it almost careless of her to ask us to leave without even so much a glance when we had waited there in miserable anticipation for so many hours I lost count.

"Well… couldn't we just go in anyways? Just for a few minutes… We wouldn't wake him, I promise… Just too…--"Before I could finish, the words came flowing out of Ryan's mouth.

"Say goodnight…" He stood. "It would make it a lot easier to go to sleep tonight…Please?" His lips formed into a pathetic attempt of a childish puppy dog pout, Simon's trademark.

"Fine… _Only_ if you promise you'll leave after a quick visit." I heard Linda sigh as I leapt from my seat to follow her down a long white hall filled with a strange cleansing smell with Ryan walking close beside me. Leering in the atmosphere of the hospital was also a sense of some lingering sadness that never seemed to leave. I had noticed it from the moment we stepped inside to face the worn and tattered face's of others whose hearts had been broken in a similar manner by the ones they loved the most.

"May God bring them comfort and healing…" I whispered under my breath. My heart filling with sympathy as I watched a young woman with short dark hair, brush passed us, her heart heavy with sorrow as she ran out in hysterical tears. Taking a deep breath, I glanced behind for the briefest of seconds but remained silent until we reached a dull grey door with the numbers "37" engraved at the top.

The nurse took the handle in her left hand and made sure to turn it carefully so that it barley made a sound. She gestured for us to walk in. "You have 5 minutes…" She shot us both a look before closing the door behind her after we were inside.

I glanced up at Ryan nervously; still unable to let my gaze fall upon the frail sleeping form under the covers that was Simon Cowell. It was hard enough seeing him at home sick with the common cold let alone lying in a hospital bed with IV's stuck in his vain.

"Do you really this he's going to be…okay?" I managed to peep out, my voice barley above a whisper.

He hesitated to answer, his eyes fixed on Simon's still breathing.

"I sure hope so sweetheart…" He watched me walk to the side of the bed and take Simon's limp hand in my own. It was the first time I caught a clear view of his face. He looked tired… weak, his skin much paler then usual. "Hang in there… okay? We still need you here… I mean who-who else knows as much about music as you do." a broken chuckle escaped from my lips. I gave his hand a gentle squeeze before reluctantly letting go. Somehow, I hoped against all hope to receive some sort of response but of course, to my dismay nothing happened.

With one last glance, I turned to leave. My eyes grew wide with shock the moment I caught site of the person who had come up beside Ryan…


	4. Bird's and Hospitals don't mix

**Authors note: Okay, first of all, SO sorry for the huge delay in finally getting the next chapter up! My computer died and it took awhile before they could find out what was wrong with it and finally get it fixed. Weeell in the process of that, ALL of the chapters I had previously written for this story had also died. So I had to start from scratch. At first I was completely heart broken but it has given me a LOT of new ideas and just a warning…there will be MANY twists and turns in farther chapters and maybe even a bigger surprise as the story progresses as well as a surprise slash ;) anyway, A HUGE thanks to my reviewers! PLEASE continue to give positive criticism on how the plotline is going, length of the chapters too short, too long? Are the canon characters out of character, are they in? Please tell me so I can improve. **

**Without farther or due…on with the story! **

Well, actually it wasn't a person at all. I took a few steps back in surprise as an all too familiar figure passed Linda's left shoulder, in which she reacted by letting out a screech and fleeing behind Ryan, with a flash of blue it landed on my own as if it were in frantic anticipation to escape whoever was pursuing it, burying itself within my long black hair. "Zazu!" I exclaimed with a burst of excitement and shock as I recognized my old friend at once. I had never given up hope that one day I would see him again…but never in a million years did I ever expect he would be _here_.

"Melia, oh thank heaven's I've found you! Tell them to leave me alone! I didn't do anything wrong… Oh if you only new what I had to go through to get passed…" His voice trailed off as it has so many times before. In the sheer joy of the moment, I had forgotten the heaviness of the situation I now found myself in or the fact that everyone else only heard the panicked squawks of an insane hornbill that did not belong in a hospital. "Get that bird!" I was snapped back to reality by the angry voice of a man as a perplexed male doctor turned the corner; almost colliding into one of the passing nurse's wheeling a patient down the hall. She gave him a dirty look and a few choice words before storming off, leaving him no chance to react. It would not have mattered…the only thing he cared about was kicking the hornbill out of the building, one that was no place for animals, according to him at least.

"Wait!" I exclaimed, running out of the room and down the hall, only enough to make sure I was out of the fuming man's reach. The look on his face actually frightened me. It looked as if he were about to tackle me to the floor just to get his hand's on the trembling bird taking refuge on my shoulder.

"What on earth do you think your doing!? Do you mean to tell me you would actually tackle me just to get to Zazu?" I crossed my arms in a huff. This man was unbelievable, how dare he actually try to rip Zazu right out from underneath my hair?

"Excuse me miss, I don't know how that bird got in this hospital but he has to go! A hospital is no place for a bird." He was young I finally took the time to notice… His hair was a dark brown and his eyes a rare Safire blue. He was far from ugly; even so I was never one to play off charm. I rather look deeper into the heart of the person…that is where I judged ones true beauty. Simba had taught me at a young age never to judge a book by its cover and I will keep that lesson engraved on my heart now and always.

I eyed him up and down, as if studying his every feature…his every body language and so far…I wasn't impressed. The slight rustle of covers from the other room soon informed me that we were in danger of waking Simon and that is the last thing I wanted. He needed his rest and I was not about to let some un-understanding doctor deprive him of it. "Come on…" I hissed as Linda quietly pulled the door shut. Rolling my eyes and giving the man now begrudgingly following behind, a scowl as I hastily made my way down the hall. Ryan was quick to follow, first informing Linda that we would return first thing tomorrow.

I reached the end of the narrow hallway and flung open the door that would lead us into the waiting room, waiting for Ryan to enter before letting it slam in the doctor's face. He let out a bitter moan and stormed in the room as I headed for the exit.

"Young lady! Where do you think your going with that bird! Don't you know what it is?" He grabbed my arm only to receive a hard peck of the beak as Zazu decided to teach him a lesson of his own before I could even have the chance.

Ryan gave me a questioning glance, unsure what to think of the whole scenario, in which I returned with one of my 'let me handle it' looks. He didn't argue…only let out a sigh, crossed his arms and sat down to let us battle it out. He new from experience that I had no problem fighting for the things I believed in and would not easily falter.

"Do I look like I'm stupid? Of course I know what _he _is. Do you?" I raised a sarcastic eyebrow in which he returned with a glare.

"Well of course...It's a…well it's a…a wild—"

"_He_ is a hornbill. And _you_ are what we like to call in Africa, a dodo brain." I watched as his face began to boil. If I had, had an egg in my hand at that moment and cracked it over his head we would not have had to buy dinner that night.

"I'm a doctor not a zoo keeper." He spat Defensively. "I may not know a lot about animals, but I do know that it is illegal to keep any _wild_ animal under captivity in the state of California without a license. Do _you_ have a license young lady?"

"Pfft…young? You sure you should be talking? I'm hardly younger then you and you're a doctor….Besides, I _have_ a name. Yeah? It's Melia. Learn it. Use it. Don't wear it out." I retorted.

He shook the harshness of my words away with an invisible shield. "I don't care who you are… No license. No birdie." He grinned at his supposed victory, thinking he had finally claimed me. He stood there waiting…as if he expected me to give up that just like that.

"Fine… Two can play at this game. You wanna get the law involved? Fine…but I'd take head if I were you…the Californian police don't allow unsanitary hospitals either…and what if they just happened to find out…" His eyes widened as I caught site of his name tag. "James… allowed a hornbill in the hospital." I returned the same cruel grin, reversing his venom against him.

"You wouldn't dare…" He narrowed his eyes.

"Try me."

"I'll deny it! I'll deny every word…"

"Will they believe you? Will Linda…believe you? After all…you were the one chasing Zazu." I sighed causally running my hand across the wooden arm of a chair." It doesn't matter anyways…once the police find out there are possibly more birds in the hospital, the whole thing will be shut down….all the patients moved somewhere else, somewhere nicer for the time being….and you will loose your job along with countless other workers…what a shame that will be." I turned away from him and winked knowingly at Ryan who only shook his head.

James seemed to be thinking this over as he glared a hole in the floor as if it were the cause of all his problems. "Oh….fine!" He growled, finally excepting defeat. "I don't care anymore…keep the bird! Go ahead, take it, it's yours! Just get it out of here before anyone else see's."

"It'll be my pleasure to get HIM out of here." He held my glare for a moment or so before tearing his gaze away from me as a frenetic nurse grabbed him and drug him down the halls of the hospital to an emergency room, not giving a thought to who may be in need. The drama of the hornbill in the hospital was forgotten by most and seldom mentioned after that to anyone who had witnessed the strange incident that had taken place that fateful evening… As it were, we were free to return home without farther confrontation…with Zazu still perched on my shoulder. No one else noticed and if they did, they did not make a point to make it known.

* * *

"Goodnight Ryan." He had decided to spend the night at our house tonight, he claims, to relieve Kenya, Zazu and I of the burden of having to deal with Helga but deep down I new it was all just an act. In all my time of knowing the Host on a personal level I could tell he was lonely for company…after all the events that had happened that day, I think we all were. Zazu had failed to tell me anything as of yet…he said he thought Kenya should be present when he delivered the news, whatever it is.

Ryan gave me a warm smile and pulled me in a tight embrace in which I returned with a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry…Simon's going to be fine." I reassured, rubbing his back I willed myself not to break down despite the heat that burned behind my eyes…I could not let him see me cry. Not now…he needed his rest and sooner or later I would be forced to learn some independence.

"I hope so Melia…I really….really hope so." A few tears trailed down his cheek…it was odd seeing him cry, as if…at least for a few minutes, we had switched roles. I tenderly wiped the droplets of moisture from his tanned cheek with my index finger much like a mother or older sister would a young child. "He will." I whispered softly. "You just have to…believe. Have some faith Ryan. You heard what the nurse said…he's going to have a short stay in the hospital." Slowly, I pulled away to look at him. Standing there in the hallway of Simon's million dollar mansion outside the guest room, Ryan looked so small…as if he were no longer a grown man but instead a lost little boy, fearful of loosing his best friend. The silver light of the moon shone down upon us from the window above, casting a sad bluish glow to his tearstained face. It broke my heart to see him in such a frail emotional state…

"Melia…what if…he doesn't come back? What if…they were wrong?" His helpless eyes pleaded for some sort of comfort…some sort of miracle that would somehow make everything okay again.

I desperately wished I could fulfill his most wanted wish…yet nonetheless I new only God could do that.

"You'll see…everything will look brighter in the morning. Just pray….it's the only thing that will help Simon now." It was the only thing I could manage to say as bittersweet memories from the past swept over me, along with them, a strange wind seemed to find its way through the vent, a few leaves swirled around me and for a moment I dared to hope that it was Mufasah informing me of some secret message …. Shaking the ridiculous thought away and watching the leaves disappear, I stood on the vary tips of my toes to reach his height and give him a quick peck on the cheek. He wasn't tall but neither was I. He forced a weak smile, our eyes met for a moment or so before we finally exchanged warm goodnights and I turned to walk back down the hall to my room where Kenya and Zazu presently waited…probably both fast asleep.

I clutched the handle of the door and gently turned it, only to find the two sitting on my bed talking amongst themselves of random nothingness.

"Ah Melia…it's quit a site to see you again…why just look at you and Kenya…your all grown up." Zazu smiled knowingly as I closed the door behind me and leapt into bed not bothering to change into night clothing just yet. I wanted to hear the news and I wanted to hear it now…no more waiting in suspense. I new I would never be able to sleep otherwise.

"Come on Zazu…stop procrastinating and just tell us already!" I exclaimed, hurling a small pillow at his head in which he barely managed to dodge.

"Ha! I still got it." He grinned, though his face fell into horror moments later as Kenya let out a playful roar and tackled the aging bird right off the bed, pinning him between his huge paws. He raised an eyebrow as I fell back laughing. "Still think you got it?" He returned his friend's mischievous grin. "Now tell us…before I make snack food out of you!" He was only joking of course but knowing Zazu…he did not even know the meaning of jokes.

"Okay, okay! I'm not as young as I used to be…besides I was only having a bit of fun…" He snapped, wriggling himself free of the lion's strong grip.

"Well so were we. Learn to take a joke dodo head!" Kenya let out a harmless laugh and leapt on the bed. I rapped my arms around his huge neck, deciding it fun to lie on his back…it reminded me of lighter times when I used to do the same with Simba when I was young. Much like his grandfather, Kenya didn't seem to mind…he had gotten used to it by now and did not complain.

"Alright alright…the reason I'm here is due to a great discovery back in the Pride Lands."

Both our ears perked up at the words 'pride lands'.

"Well go on…tell us!" Kenya urged, way beyond the point of impatient. It was as if we were listening to a story that kept you on the edge of your seat. We had to know what happened next…we had to know the missing pieces of the puzzle.

"Simba…may still be alive."

My heart jumped into my throat…I almost did not believe the words he spoke. Kenya's jaw dropped to the floor. He leapt up with me on his back so high I thought we were going to hit the ceiling, and ran around the room in circles of joy. The slight hope I had held onto all these years, deep down inside, seemed to rebirth into a flame of determination….yet still…there was just something about the news that seemed…to good to be true. I longed so badly to believe it were true…yet there was apart of me that could not help but doubt… Human nature I guess… Or maybe it was the fact that every time I would get my hopes up, it seemed something always went wrong. Nonetheless I let my enthusiasm get the better of me…

"Wait! You two calm down for a minute…" Zazu scolded. Fluttering his features and perching on the edge of the bed.

Once we had calmed enough to at least sit still without exploding, he continued.

"I don't want you guy's getting your hopes up…no one is certain yet it's just a possibility…we've had…vary mysterious visits of a vary…odd golden lion with eyes that could see into your soul… visiting the pride lands…so far only the cubs have reported to have seen him and even I did not believe them until…. "

"Zazu…what are you talking about?" I raised an eyebrow, almost beginning to think the Hollywood air had gotten to his head. Though apart of me filled with overwhelming curiosity…who, exactly, is this lion and why has he been visiting the pride lands? Even stranger…only cubs could see him? Why? It didn't make sense…

"Do you want to hear the rest of the story or not?" He crossed his feathers in annoyance. He had always hated it when anyone interrupted when he had something important to say….or at least he _thought_ it was something important.

Nevertheless, silently, we both nodded in unison.

"Thank you. Now…as I was saying…this strange lion told of vary odd telling of strange happenings in a land not to far from Pride Rock..." "A dreadful land where lion's and other animals are being kept as prisoners to build some sort of machinery device made by man… The lion was not certain but when one of Kenya's little sister's asked about weather or not her granddad was one of the captors, the lion only seemed to sadden…he told her to tell the others to find you... You simply must return to Africa, Melia. I don't know what's going on, but it isn't good..." He looked me straight in the eye…then turned his gaze upon Kenya who had not said a word since Zazu began speaking again. For once, we had listened intently to his every word.

"You and Kenya both…_must_ return to Africa… Maybe you can help us find a bit of peace. A bird could use a bit of beauty sleep without getting attacked!"

Normally we would have responded to the last bit of Zazu's sentence with some snide comment made only for the sheer amusement of getting on the irritated hornbills last nerve…but not now.

We only looked at him, both genuinely confused.

"Wait…are you trying to tell us that my parents…our family...the pride…is in danger?" Kenya asked hesitantly, fearing the answer. He felt my grasp clench tighter to his mane, it was painfully obvious I shared his concern. Now I was worried… I should have never agreed to come here… We could have found some other way.

"They are safe…aren't they Zazu?" I had to believe that they were alright…but even I had a sickening feeling I already new the answer. I looked at him anxiously, watching as his face fell into tragic reminiscences of the past…I could not but wonder if he were not thinking back to the time of Mufasa's untimely death… Although I myself did not know him personally, I had heard stories from Simba and others in the pride and each one of them had told that no one was quit the same after that. I could tell, again he was dreading delivering whatever bad news there was to tell…. All the same, he new it had to be done. He took a deep breathe…

"It seems…Zira has had a cub…her newest heir to the throne…he seems to go by the name Abidemi. A horrible creature with markings similar to Scar…He banded together a bunch of back-stabbing murderous outsiders, who refused to join Simba's pride when the other's had, and…they…attacked Pride Rock. Or at least that is our suspicion about Zira…no one can be sure." His voice fell solemn. I heard Kenya echo a gasp, his fur standing on end at the vary thought of what damage those murderers had possibility cost the pride.

"Was anyone hurt?" I bit my lip so hard it actually broke the skin.

"Not too terribly, thank God…although one of the cub's were stolen. We think this may be linked to the place the lion's are being held captive, but like I said… No one…knows for sure. All we have to go by is what the lion told us…"

I could already feel my blood begin to boil. "Alright that's it… Come on Kenya. Look's like we'll be returning to Africa sooner then we thought." I made no hesitation in jumping off the bed. Running to the closest, I flung open the double doors and frantically began throwing random pieces of clothing into a small blue backpack. We would need to travel light if we were going to search for Simba.

"Whoa… Melia, slow down for a second." Kenya leapt off the bed, nearly knocking Zazu off as well.

"Kenya? Our family's in danger! We—"

He cut me off before I could say anymore.

"I wanna save my granddad and the pride as much as you do! For years I thought he was dead… Believe me, I wanna find him! But we can't just leave….not yet. There's someone here who….still needs you." His sad gaze finally caught mine and almost immediately my mind raced back to Simon who, at this vary moment, lie in a hospital bed clinging to life itself… The mental image of the thought almost startled me even as I kneel on the floor shoving a pair of jean shorts into the bag.

I looked at him…bewildered. "But…how do you know?"

A slight grin made its way across his face. "And you thought I didn't watch the news?"

Ignoring the humor in his tone, my guilty eyes fell to the floor. I kicked myself mentally for being so thoughtless at such a time as this…after all Simon had been my caretaker for the past couple of years and I did love and respect him for all he had done. But Simba was my father…the reason I'm even here today was because he took me in when I there was no one else, and the thought of anyone causing him pain made my stomach churn. True…Simon needed me here…but Simba may be in danger.

I let out a helpless whimper and slunk to the floor, hugging my knee's to my chest. I kicked the backpack half way across the room… frustrated with the situation and the waves of helplessness that consumed me.

Zazu looked confused. "What are you blabbering on about Kenya? _Who_ needs her here?" He raised a suspicious eyebrow, almost demanding an explanation.

Kenya and I exchanged quiet glances before he decided to be the first to speak.

"If you must know…its Simon... Something….happened, with a crazy American Idol contestant, he was shot close to the heart, and now he's in the hospital. Don't you watch the news?" Kenya shook his head in distain as Zazu only scoffed in return.

"Well excuse me I only live in the middle of Africa…and Timon and Pumba broke the only TV again!"

"Ha…too bad for you." He grinned.

Zazu would have retorted, sparking an interesting argument that would have been quit amusing to listen to at any other time… but right now, that was the last thing we needed.

"Guys! Not helping!" I glared, picking myself off the floor. I ran a hand through my hair and let out a grunt…at this point I was so tired, I didn't want to think about anything at all tonight…oh how I wish it would all just disappear from my mind. I only longed to drift into dreamland…a temporary escape from the world around me. A world that I wished would just stay still….yet still, it provided the relief I so desperately needed.

"We'll figure something out tomorrow. Right now…I think we could all use the sleep." While already in the closet, I grabbed a random pajama top and bottoms, I changed out of my regular cloths, throwing them on the carpeted floor uncaringly. I leapt into bed, pulling the covers up to my neck. "Goodnight." I said, reaching up to pull the switch that turned the off the lights. Surrounding us, glow in the dark stars that lit up the ceiling, a substitution for the sky and a gentle remainder of home. My true home…not the Beverly Hills mansion where you could barely even see the night stars with all the lights blocking their gentle nighttime glow from warming our faces.

Zazu hopped back in alarm at first, and then stood there in awe. Although I'm not so sure it was the good kind…

"Look's nothing like the stars back home." He muttered in his usual sarcastic tone after a few moments of silence and rolled his eyes, unknowingly throwing a few grains of salt on my open wound. Kenya shot him an angry glare and tossed a satin pink pillow his way as he leapt up on the bed and buried himself within the covers beside me.

"Don't rub it in or when we do get back you'll be getting a one way ticket to the birdie boiler..." He warned, only half joking.

"Oh no…not that! Anything but the birdie boiler…" He shuttered and the mere thought, shaking away bad memories of a time when he did visit that vary place. As one could probably tell, it had scarred him for life…

"Ha, then you better be good." I snickered, laying my head on Kenya's soft main, using it as a pillow, since there were no longer any on the bed and I was too lazy to get up and get one.

"Well I say…" He began, but immediately shut up when Kenya and I shot him a look.

"Night everyone. Sweet dreams." Kenya let out a long yawn and shut his eyes.

"Goodnight." Zazu answered bitterly before finally finding a place to rest on the huge dog bed that originally belonged to Kenya before he started liking the idea of sleeping in my bed whenever I had a nightmare… Pretty soon it became a regular occurrence.


End file.
